12 Amazing Tech Predictions for the Next Decade

By Dennis McCafferty | Posted 2016-03-09

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12 Amazing Tech Predictions for the Next Decade

Predictions from top leaders in the IT industry report on everything from Internet connectivity to the Internet of things, implanted phones and wearable tech.
Connected World

79% of the respondents believe that nine out of 10 people on earth will have regular access to the Internet by 2024, and 81% predict that nine out of 10 people will use smartphones by 2023.
High Profile

84% predict that four out of five people on earth will have a digital presence on the Internet (including via social media) by 2023.
Internet of (Many) Things

89% of the survey respondents believe that there will be 1 trillion sensors connected to the Internet by 2022.
AI and Audits

75% believe that artificial intelligence (AI) machines will perform three out of every 10 corporate audits by 2025.
A Seat at the Table

45% of the respondents anticipate that by 2026, the first AI machine will serve as a director on a corporate board.
Data Space

91% expect that nine out of 10 people will have unlimited and free (ad-supported) storage by 2018.
Auto Pilot

79% of the respondents predict that driverless cars will account for one out of every 10 vehicles on U.S. roads by 2026.
Urban Planning

64% predict that, by 2026, there will be a city with more than 50,000 residents without traffic lights, thanks to advances in "smart city" technology.
Head Count

83% of the respondents anticipate that by 2023, a government will replace its traditional census with big data sources.
Healthy Transition

76% said that by 2025, we will see the first transplant of a 3D-printed liver.
Body Building

82% of the respondents expect that the first mobile phone to be implanted into humans will be available commercially by 2023.
Fashion Accessories

91% said that one out of 10 people will wear clothes that are connected to the Internet by 2022, and 86% said that one out of 10 reading glasses will be connected to the Internet by 2013.
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Are you prepared for the day that an artificial intelligence (AI) machine will sit on your employer's corporate board? Or for driverless cars to go mainstream? Or for cities to run without traffic lights? Or for humans to function on 3D-printed body organs? If you're not ready, you will have a few years—but just a few—to prepare for the amazing predictions published in a recent report from the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on the Future of Software and Society. The report, "Deep Shift: 21 Ways Software Will Transform Global Society," included predictions from a survey of top leaders and influencers in the IT sector. We're highlighting selected predictions here, covering everything from Internet connectivity to the Internet of things (IoT), data storage and wearable technology. "These changes will impact people around the world," according to a preface in the report from BSA|The Software Alliance President and CEO Victoria Espinel, who is also chair of the World Economic Forum council that produced the report. "Inventions previously seen only in science fiction—such as artificial intelligence, connected devices and 3D printing—will enable us to connect and invent in ways we never have before. Businesses will automate complicated tasks, reduce production costs and reach new markets. Continued growth in Internet access will further accelerate change. In Sub-Saharan Africa and other underdeveloped regions, connectivity has the potential to redefine global trade, lift people out of poverty and topple political regimes. And, for many of us, seemingly simple software innovations will transform our daily routines." More than 800 information and communications technology sector executives and experts took part in the research.

Dennis McCafferty is a freelance writer for Baseline Magazine.